1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard input device for use in, for example, a portable personal computer, and more particularly, to a keyboard input device which can used in connection with a portable device such as a portable telephone.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, portable personal computers and the like have sometimes been used with a keyboard input device connected to a portable telephone or the like. In such cases, the keyboard input device and the portable telephone are operated in a state in which a part of the portable telephone is located laterally of the keyboard input device and a part of the portable telephone is inserted in a connector disposed on a side face of the keyboard input device.
In the conventional keyboard input device having the above configuration, the portable telephone is partly inserted into the keyboard input device, but is not entirely supported thereby. Therefore, the portable telephone is held unstably, and stress is applied to the connector, thus making the connector prone to damage. This decreases the reliability of the connection between the keyboard input device and the portable telephone.
Furthermore, since the portable telephone is inserted in the keyboard input device from the side, it is difficult for the operator to view the display and operating portions of the portable telephone and to operate the operating portions. Moreover, when operating portions of the portable telephone, stress is applied to the connector, which can further damage the connector.
The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above problems in the conventional art. It is an object of the present invention to provide a keyboard input device which can stably support a portable device, such as a portable telephone, when inserted therein. A further object of this invention is to establish a firm and reliable connection with the portable device, which allows the portable device to be easily viewed and operated.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard input device having a device mounting member, such as a cover member which will be described later, for mounting thereon a portable device, such as a portable telephone. The device mounting member is pivotally supported by the keyboard body, and a connector for connecting the keyboard body and the portable device is disposed on the pivot side of the device mounting member.
As a result of this invention and since the device mounting member is disposed in the keyboard body, the portable device can be stably held and can be easily operated. Since the connector for connecting the keyboard body and the portable device is disposed on the pivot-side at the base end of the device mounting member, the portable device can be held reliably. Furthermore, since the portable device is supported by the device mounting member, and extra force is not applied to the connector, the connector will not be damaged even when the portable device is repeatedly attached and detached. This makes it possible to maintain the functions of the connector for a much longer period, and to improve reliability.
Preferably, the portable device can be placed in a tilted position. This allows a display portion and an operating portion of the portable device to be easily viewed and operated.
Preferably, the tilting angle of the portable device is arbitrarily adjustable. This allows the display portion and the operating portion of the portable device to be easily viewed and operated.
Preferably, the device mounting member is in the form of a plate. As a result, when the device mounting member is folded toward the keyboard body, the increase in thickness of the keyboard input device is insignificant.
Preferably, the device mounting member has a holding recess for holding the portable device. This makes it possible to hold the portable device on the device mounting member more reliably.
Preferably, the device mounting member also functions as a cover member for covering at least a part of the keyboard body. This eliminates the necessity of using an additional component.
Preferably, the keyboard input body is divided so that it can be folded, and the device mounting member is supported by the keyboard input device so that it can be folded. This reduces the size of the keyboard input device.
Preferably, the connector is pivotally supported. In this case, even though the position of a connector portion built in the portable device may vary among models or among manufacturers, it is possible to accomodate such variations and to consistently establish a reliable connection with the portable device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard input device having a keyboard body with a connector for establishing connection with an external device, such as a portable telephone, wherein the connector is movably connected so that it can vertically move or can pivot, and has a retaining portion, such as a retaining claw, to be engaged with a part of the external device, and the engagement (locking) and disengagement (unlocking) of the retaining portion with and from the external device are switched by the movement of the connector.
In this case, the external device can be more easily attached and detached than in a case in which the external device is attached and detached by pressing an eject button.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard input device wherein a keyboard body is divided so that it can be folded, and a display portion, such as a liquid crystal panel, is supported by the keyboard body so that it can be folded onto the folded keyboard body.
This makes it possible to provide a smaller keyboard input device with a display portion, and the display screen is protected by the folding structure.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard input device wherein a keyboard body has a connector for establishing connection with a connector portion of an external device, each of the connector of the keyboard body and the connector portion of the external device has two ground pins and a predetermined number of data pins. In accordance with this invention the two ground pins of the connector and the two ground pins of the connector portion are connected to each other so as to power the keyboard body on, and at least one of the ground pins of the connector is shorter than the other pins.
In this case, even when the connector portion of the external device is obliquely inserted into the connector of the keyboard body, data input and output are always possible while the keyboard body is powered on.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.